The Princess and the Dragon
by TailsDoll13
Summary: Feferi Piexes had one word to describe her life as a princess: Lonely. Terezi Pyrope has one word to describe her life as a shapeshifter: Boring. So when she decides to kidnap the princess, both of them are surprised at the solace that they find within each other. (Femslash. Terezi/Feferi. AU. Written for autisticporrim.)
1. Chapter 1

**I did it Fao**

 **I wrote the gay fairytale**

 **Although it's gonna end up being a multichaptered fic instead of a oneshot**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck**

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The dark cave was filled with steam from the underground springs, coiling perfectly around the piles of gold and jewels. A huge yawn broke the hissing of the springs, and a pile of coins shifted as a face emerged from them.

The young woman blinked her pure red eyes, sniffing the air. She could not see, so she used her nose and tongue to sense the world all around her. She was curvy, with bronze skin peppered with freckles and dark blonde hair. Her black lips were full and her nose came up to a point. She sniffed again, and her tongue flickered out from between her lips. It was teal and forked, and very long.

She called herself Terezi. Terezi Pyrope. She had not given herself the name. She remembered it from a long time ago, before there was the fire and she wasn't able to see.

"Aww, nothing wandered in here during the night," she complained as she struggled out of the pile of coins, causing them to slide down the pile. She wore a simple red shift, ragged at the edges. She was smart enough to know not to sleep naked on her treasure. Some of it had points, and the points hurt.

She sighed as she walked towards the entrance of her cave. "Guess I need to disturb some sheep on the farm today," she decided. "Again. Like almost every other day."

As she walked out of the cave, there was a loud screech. The heavy sound of wings grew louder and louder, and huge gusts of air pushed back Terezi's hair and blew her dress around. A brilliant cobalt dragon with black markings missing a leg and an eye landed roughly on the ground in front of Terezi, emitting a triumphant squawk in her face.

Terezi hardly budged. "It's too early in the morning for your bullshit, Vriska."

The dragon started to shrink, blue scales turning into brown skin, until a lanky girl with long tangled black hair and one striking blue eye stood in front of Terezi. She had a scar running though her other eye, forcing it closed, and where her left arm should have been was a stump. She had on a loose black shirt with blue pants.

"Ah, she finally awakens! How were your dreams in your piles of gold?" Vriska greeted with a toothy smile, baring her canines.

"Alright. How were your dreams in your stinky cave?"

"It doesn't stink anymore, I told you that! And it wasn't _my_ fault."

"Kanaya is one of the most meticulous people I know, Vri." Terezi crossed her arms. "Maybe she loosened up a little after you stole-"

"Took."

"-her, but that didn't turn her entire personality upside down. You didn't take out the carcasses like you were supposed to while she went to visit her sister."

"Fine, maybe I _did_ forget to take them out," Vriska admitted, rolling her eye. "But it's all water under the bridge now."

"Eh…fair enough. Now why are you here? You usually aren't up this early, I don't have to smell you until the afternoon most of the time." Terezi started picking at one of her nails.

"Well…"

"Are you holding something in front of me? I can't smell it, and I certainly can't see it."

"I'm holding out my hand, asswipe."

"You're the asswipe." Terezi reached her hand out in front of her, until she grasped Vriska's hand. She held it up to her nose and sniffed it, catching the scent of metal. "Did you get another bangle?"

"Keep looking."

Terezi sniffed deeper, locating the ring on Vriska's ring finger. "Hmm, a metal ring. Smells like silver." She licked it, and Vriska squeaked. "Wow, still squeamish?"

"Shut-Shut the fuck up!"

She cackled. "I love doing this to you." She sniffed again. "Silver with green stones…emerald ones. Huh. What's the occasion?"

"If you want a hint: If I had my left hand, I'd be wearing the finger on it."

Terezi quirked her mouth. "I still don't get it."

"Good god, when was the last time you had human interaction?"

"Besides Kanaya and the farmers whose sheep I eat? A couple of years."

"It's an engagement ring."

It took a moment for the words to process through Terezi's brain, but when they did she gasped and shoved Vriska in the chest, causing her to grunt. "Shut the fuck up! No way!"

"Yes way! Kanaya proposed last night. She went to her sister's house to get the ring."

"It's about damn time! After what, five years?" Terezi cackled. "I've been waiting for you two to seal the deal. But I didn't expect it to be the human way."

"Tez, she would've been horrified if I covered myself in blood and made a circle in the grass."

"You've done weirder."

"True, but the last time I was covered in blood I lost a limb." Vriska sighed.

"Also true. Is that what you came over to tell me?

"Yes. Also, Kanaya wants to have a party to celebrate. She's inviting everyone we know."

"Really?" Terezi raised an eyebrow. "Even Mr. Crabby and his boy?"

"Oh yes, she knows they'll come. She's one of the few people Mr. Crabby likes."

"Well, it'll be great to see some of them again. I want to know how Rose and Jade are holding up in the village."

"Oh…" Vriska hissed. "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"They got exiled."

"What?!" Terezi shouted in shock. "Why?!"

"Someone reported them to the village sheriff. They've been cracking down harder on magic users recently, and they're both lucky to have only gotten kicked out. I heard a boy who can control water was locked for life, and is tortured every other day."

"That's terrible! What do they have against us, anyways? We've hardly done anything to them!"

"We steal their sheep."

"We need to eat. Other than that, and the occasional capturing of humans, we hardly doing a thing!"

"True, but we can strike back at them later. Rose and Jade are safe now, they're in the swamp by the valley."

"Good." Terezi breathed a heavy sigh. "I just hope they don't come for us next."

"They won't. We're too scary." Vriska changed the topic. "Anyways, the party is two weeks from Saturday. Will you be able to make it?"

"Vriska, I never have any plans, you know this."

"Just checking. See you there!" She turned swiftly back into a dragon and roared in farewell.

Terezi chuckled and roared back. Vriska flew away. The morning was quiet once again.

She was grateful for something to do for once. Lately, her life had been nothing but venturing out of her cave to find something to eat, and sorting out her treasures. She needed something to do.

Speaking of eating. Her stomach grumbled, and Terezi huffed. "Shut the hell up, I'm going." She bent over on all fours and willed herself to change. Claws erupted from her nails, and her dress and hair melted into her skin. Scales jerked violently up out of her skin, and her entire body started to grow. Growths shot up from her back, until finally Terezi was a huge teal dragon with red markings on her body. Screeching in triumph, she leapt up from the ground, flapping her wings as she soared through the air.

She would find herself something to eat for now, but her rage at the injustice shown towards Rose and Jade was still fresh in her mind. The humans had long treated magic as dangerous and those who used it as fiends, and Terezi was sick of it.

Justice would have to be served.

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 **This was going to start out as an oneshot but halfway through writing this I realized "Why make this an oneshot when I can come up with a good plot and make this into multiple chapters" and decided to go with it.**

 **Hello! I'm TailsDoll13, but you can call me Taylor (Use whatever pronouns you want for me). If my username sounds familiar, I used to post a lot in this section. I mainly write Percy Jackson now, but I'm returning to this section.**

 **This is a fantasy AU, inspired by a post my friend Fao (autisticporrim on Tumblr) made a couple of weeks ago. It was about an AU where Terezi is a shapeshifting dragon that captures Feferi, who is a princess, and they fall in love. Of course I had to write it.**

 **If you want more of my stories, my latest Homestuck ones as "All is Fair in Paint and War" (TerAda), "Misheard it Through the Grapevine" (EquAra and FefSol), and "Snowball Fights" (KatNep). My latest Percy Jackson ones are all Solangelo and are named "Rewritten" and "Ringing of the Snow", along with my multichapter fic "How Not to Get Your OTP Together." Check them out!**

 **I also post stuff on my ArchiveOfOurOwn, Gamzee_Makaraoni. Look at it if you want to!**

 **My Tumblr is spoopywillsolace for Halloween. Once Halloween is over, I'll be using my original URL autisticwillsolace. I post lots of fandom, including Homestuck, Percy Jackson, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, Ninjago, and other ones, like bands and some YouTubers.**

 **I hope that you enjoyed this! I can't wait to continue work on it!**

 **-Taylor**


	2. Chapter 2

**EDIT: Fffff I forgot to respond to reviews when I first uploaded this chapter**

 **REVIEWS**

 **dontblamemeimhuman: I'm glad that you like this fanfiction! And thanks to everyone who followed!**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Homestuck.**

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In a room with rich blue walls patterned with white dots and a marble floor, a figure stirred from a mahogany four poster bed with pure white sheets, between a matching wardrobe and a matching desk. The chubby young lady yawned, stretching out her dark freckled brown arms, and scratched her back, smacking lips that matched her fuchsia eyes. As she climbed out of bed, her black curls bounced. She shivered as her feet touched the floor. "Yeeps!"

"Princess Feferi?" a voice called outside the door. "Are-Are you awake?"

Feferi sighed. She hated how scared the servants were of her. They were convinced that if they did one thing wrong, she would cast them out into the streets. Even when she tried to be friendly with them and ask about their day, they would stammer and bow their heads. But it was to be expected. Feferi's mother had terrorized them, and they expected her to be the same.

"Yes, Hazel," she answered loudly. "You may come in."

The door opened, and the young servant scampered in. She was a few years younger than Feferi, with short cinnamon curls and brown skin. Her golden eyes flitted nervously around the room as she bounced in her servant's uniform. "Good morning! Breakfast will be served shortly! Do you need any help getting dressed?"

Feferi rolled her eyes. Did the servants think she was still a child? She was perfectly capable of dressing herself. "No, I can dress myself," she snapped. Hazel shirked back, and Feferi felt guilty. The girl didn't deserve her temper. "But you can help me choose an outfit to wear."

"Is that a command, my lady?"

She bit her lip. "Yes."

"Alright, then." Hazel opened up the door to Feferi's enormous wardrobe, revealing dozens and dozens of dresses. "What do you feel like wearing today, my lady?"

"Hazel, I insist that you choose my dress yourself, without input from me. I would like to see what you think I should wear."

Hazel gulped, tugging nervously at the hem of her uniform. "But-But I don't want to choose something you don't to wear."

"I'll be fine with whatever dress you pick," Feferi assured, smiling gently.

"If-If you say so, my lady." She carefully picked through the dresses in the wardrobe, muttering under her breath about the colors and styles of the different dresses. Finally, she smiled triumphantly and pulled a dress out. "How about this one, my lady?"

The dress was one of Feferi's simpler ones. It had a rich blue violet velvet, with gold trimming at the waist and the hem of the skirt and sleeves. The actual sleeves themselves ended at the elbow, merging with silky see-through sleeves that fell down to the skirt. She couldn't remember the last time she had worn it.

"Wonderful! Thank you, Hazel." She took it out of the other girl's hands. "I shall get dressed in it immediately."

"As you wish, my lady." Hazel bowed. "Shall you need anything else?"

"Yes, please find my gold shoes-the flats, if you will-as I dress."

"Yes, my lady."

Feferi smiled and slipped behind her dressing curtain, in the other corner of her room. She emerged a few minutes later to find Hazel standing at the foot of her bed, the shoes in her hands.

"Here you are." She set the shoes down and bowed her head as Feferi slipped her feet into them.

"Thank you. Shall we go to breakfast now?"

"Of course." Hazel led Feferi to the door and opened it for her, and the two young women stepped out into the hallway.

The carpet and walls were both dark pink, accentuated by the black curtains at the windows. There were mahogany tables with vases of flowers and other expensive decorations on them out in the hallway, and portraits of the royals that had ruled before Feferi came along.

They turned a corner and Feferi was met with the portrait of her and her own mother. She had been a young girl when the artist had started the painting, and stood next to her mother's throne in her blue and green dress, with pigtails in her hair. Her mother was in a royal black dress that exposed her chest, with lace embroidering the edges and a full skirt. A black collar was on the edge of the neckline. A long gold necklace hung from her neck. Her hair was pulled back for the royal crown to sit on her head, and the golden scepter rested in her lap. She stared coolly from the canvas, as though she was judging anyone who dared to stare at her.

Hazel shivered beside her, snapping Feferi out of her thoughts. "Let's go," she told Hazel, who nodded meekly as they continued walking.

They finally came to the dining room, next to the kitchen. Hazel pushed the doors open. "Princess Feferi has arrived for breakfast!" she announced. Feferi walked in, thanking Hazel for opening the door for her.

"Feferi!" A young woman stood up from the table. It was Aradia Ampora-Megido, the lady in charge of mapping out the entire kingdom, and one of Feferi's good friends. She had been gone for about a week to map a deep part of the woods, and had seemed to just returned, since she was still in riding clothes caked with mud and grass was stuck to her creamy skin and scarlet hair. She walked over to Feferi, holding out her arms for a hug. "How have you been without me?"

Smiling, Feferi ignored the dirt and returned Aradia's hug. "Great, but I missed you! I'm so glad that you're back. When did you get here?" she asked.

"About ten minutes ago. I was going to get cleaned up before I came for breakfast, but I just _had_ to see you and Eri to let you know that I was back home. Speaking of which, where is my husband?"

"Right here." Aradia and Feferi yelped as a voice came out of nowhere. A young man with pale skin and blonde hair combed back stood behind Aradia, dressed in an elegant navy blue military uniform that accented his violet eyes. "You greet your friend an' not me when you return home, dear?"

"I was going to say hello to you first, but I couldn't find you, you rascal," Aradia accused, turning around and stepping up to Eridan. "We have quite a bit of catching up to do."

"Mmm, it seems so." Eridan wrapped his arm around Aradia, and she grasped his cheek as they kissed each other.

Feferi coughed into her fist. "You two will have to…reunite somewhere else, it's time for breakfast," she chided.

"Right, right." Aradia bowed her head in apology as she walked back over to her chair, Eridan following. Feferi rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and took her place at the head of the table, where the rest of the head staff was already seated. A servant rang the bell as soon as she sat down, and the waiters emerged from the kitchen with plates of food.

"So what happened while I was away?" Aradia peeled a banana and bit into it as she stared at Feferi expectantly.

"The usual," Feferi replied. "Lessons on running a kingdom, etiquette, and preparing for the ball next month."

"There was a bit of a…mishap in one of the outlying villages earlier this week," Eridan commented, stabbing a sausage with his fork.

"Oh?" Feferi raised an eyebrow. She hadn't heard about any trouble lately.

"Yes. They discovered two more of _them_." A hush fell over their end of the table. Feferi knew what Eridan meant.

Magic users. All of her life, Feferi had been taught that they were evil and had no hearts. They were scorned in the kingdom. Anyone discovered to have the ability to use magic or sympathized with them were either exiled or sent to the kingdom's prisons.

The vilest of all were shapeshifters. They could change their appearance at will, making them even harder to catch. They could go from the tiniest creature to the mightiest in seconds, and completely eradicate villages. The only reason why they turned into humans was to mock them. There were legends of dragon shapeshifters far out in the valley over the mountains, but they had never been confirmed. Dragons were dangerous, shapeshifters or not.

"Oh. Who was it this time?" Aradia asked. She had frozen at the mention of the magic users. Feferi could hardly blame her. When Aradia had been a little girl living in the main village, her own mother had been discovered to be a magic user. She had put up a fight, but eventually gave up and went willingly to the dungeons. Aradia had been sent to live in the castle with Feferi.

"A werewolf an' a witch. Both a' them were exiled to the woods."

"Which village was this…Rogganda?"

"Yes."

"Ah." Aradia chewed thoughtfully on her banana, and nothing more was said on the matter.

"We're gettin' a fresh shipment a' guards for the ball next month," Eridan changed the subject.

"Mmm, where are they from?" Feferi asked, cutting her eggs with a knife.

"All over the kingdom-all fresh from trainin' camp. I hope they're ready."

"And I hope you won't give them a hard time as always." Aradia bopped Eridan lightly on the nose.

"C'mon, Ar, can't I have a little fun?" he pleaded.

"Without scaring the pants off of the new recruits? Sure."

"But it's fun!"

"You wanna know what's more fun?"

Feferi didn't get to hear Aradia's answer, for just then a butler opened the door. "Princess Feferi?" he called.

Feferi pushed back her chair and rose from the table. "Yes?"

"Your mother, the Queen, would like a word with you at this moment."

"Tell her that I am coming." The butler nodded and closed the doors. Feferi sat back down.

"What does she want?" Aradia hissed.

"Probably something about the ball. She's been getting on my case about it for the past week."

"I certainly don't envy you. You better get going. Unless she's changed since I left, you don't want to piss her off."

Feferi shivered as she stood up and walked to the door. "Don't remind me, Aradia."

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 **Woo, that was Chapter 2! Sorry that it took longer than expected to get up. Please review!**

 **-Taylor**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my god I didn't mean to neglect this fic I started watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and started a ton of other projects I'm so sorry**

 **REVIEWS**

 **whatthehellwasithinkin: I'm glad to see that I've convinced you to ship TerFef! And yeah, they do compliment each other well.**

 **Guest: Ahhh I'm glad that you like my other work as well! And Homestuck is a webcomic on mspaintadventures, but there is a comic dub of it called "Let's Read Homestuck." I recommend the dub personally.**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Homestuck it would be on hiatus far longer than it is now.**

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Feferi hastened through the halls of her castle. She knew better than to keep a temperamental woman like her mother waiting for too long. If she arrived too late, she could fall into a rage.

"Y-Your majesty!" The boy at the doors to the throne room bowed hastily, his hat nearly falling off of his head. "The Queen is waiting for you!"

"Thank you, Sir Tavros Nitram." Feferi curtsied. "May you please open the doors for me?"

"Of course, my lady!" Tavros yanked the doors open, the guards on the other side catching them. "Princess Feferi has arrived!" Feferi took a deep breath and walked through.

The throne room had never ceased to steal the breath from her lips. It was long and daunting, with huge marble columns looming over her head. Four chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lit with pure white candles. Colorful tapestries hung from the walls, depicting many of the kingdom's heroes of legend fighting the magical creatures. The beasts were writhing in agony, their cruel faces twisted in pain and anger, and a shiver raced down Feferi's spine.

A childhood memory came to the surface of her mind-when she was a little girl, how she and her older sister weaved through the columns when the room was empty. They filled the hall with laughter. Now it was silent, save for her footsteps thudding against the floor.

A long red carpet ran down the room to a platform, where a woman sat on a golden throne. She was tall, even though she was sitting down, with narrowed fuchsia eyes. Her long black hair was swept off to the side, her crown balancing on top of her head. Her dress was adorned in royal blue, with a trim cream collar at the top and lace at the hems and waist. It was one of her simpler dresses, one that she would wear on the days the citizens of her kingdom came to visit and discuss their problems with her.

Today was not one of those days, however. Feferi had her mother's schedule memorized. Today was the day that the castle's cleaners would tidy up the throne room, but only a few workers were in the room, straightening out the tapestries. The knot that was growing in Feferi's stomach twisted. Her mother rarely spoke to her alone.

As she walked closer, Queen Condra rose from her throne with a gentle smile which looked more fake than genuine. "Hello, Feferi dear. I'm glad that you have come to talk with me."

"Of course, Mother." Feferi curtsied at the foot of the platform.

Condra got up from her throne and walked down the stairs of the platform. Feferi did not rise until she had passed, the way that she had been taught. "Come, my daughter. Let us walk in the garden."

"As you wish."

The pair strode out of the throne room to the back of the palace, where a huge set of glass doors opened out into a maze of roses, azaleas, daises, and other flowers that Feferi couldn't even begin to name. The royal gardeners were hard at work keeping care of the flowers, stopping only to bow at the queen and princess. Feferi smiled back at them, but Condra merely gave them a cool stare.

Once they were further out into the garden, Condra spoke. "The ball has been postponed."

"It has?" Feferi knew that preparing for the ball was important, but it was hard work. Hearing that it had been postponed, even temporarily, was a relief.

"Yes. Queen Gliyoyan had an incident, which has affected her health. So now the ball will be happening in three months."

Feferi gasped. "Is Grandmother okay? What happened?" Condra was not particularly close with her mother, but Feferi loved her. The old woman was a stern ruler of the entire area this side of the mountains, but she had a softer side for her family, even in her old age.

"She had a fall on her stairs. Her doctor has assigned her to stay in bed." Condra's tone told Feferi that they would not continue to discuss her.

Feferi knew that her mother and grandmother had bad blood between them. Before Feferi was born, Queen Gliyoyan was to give the crown of the Eastern Mountain kingdoms to either Condra or her brother, Feferi's uncle. Instead, Gliyoyan had chosen to keep her crown, and gave her children provinces of the kingdom to rule. Condra was the obvious choice for the crown, due to her birthright as the elder child, but when she was snubbed she began to resent her mother.

Now that she was begin to ail, Gliyoyan had decided to give the kingdom away to one of her grandchildren-Feferi and her cousins. The heir would be announced at the royal ball for the entire kingdom coming up in now three months, and Condra had been pushing Feferi to be the best potential heiress she could be. Which was rather tough on Feferi, since the training was long hours of reciting laws, dancing, and moving like a queen should.

"This will give you more time to prepare. I would rather not see my brother's children in charge of this entire area."

"John and Jane aren't _that_ bad," Feferi mumbled. Her cousins could be troublemakers, but they were kind and generous. Feferi had visited the province they ruled only a few times, but it was a happy place, with cheerful citizens and beautiful buildings. The buildings of her province were beautiful too, but the citizens hushed in her presence and knocked themselves over to please her. Her mother was a good ruler, but she was strict and scared her people.

Condra stopped walking to fix Feferi with a fierce stare. "They're soft-hearted, and sympathetic to the lowest of the low. A pig could rule better than they could. If my brother had magic users hidden in his kingdom, I wouldn't be surprised," she spat. "John and Jane are not fitted to rule a kingdom."

"Of course, Mother. I did not think of that." Feferi bowed her head in apology. She knew better than to argue.

"Well, now you know." She continued to walk, and Feferi followed. "That is why you must be chosen to rule the kingdom. Otherwise it will fall to ruins. You must apply the knowledge that your tutors and I have given to you over the years. You must know the answer to every question, know the steps of every dance, know the laws of every village, and know the way that a queen moves and acts. That is how you become the ruler."

"I know. I have been trying my best! I have the laws of the northern outlying villages done, and I'm halfway through the southern ones. And Ms. Hawkeye says that I'm ready to move on to the next dance!"

"You must try harder. Perfection is key in royalty. I don't want another traitor to disgrace my name in this kingdom. Make up for where _she_ failed."

Feferi knew who her mother was talking about, even if she did not mention her by name. "Yes, Mother. I know that."

Condra raised her chin in approval, the closest to true pride from her mother for her that Feferi could ever get. "If I am not mistaken, Ms. Hawkeye will be arriving at the palace for your lesson shortly. Do your best, and make me proud, Feferi. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Mother. I shall not fail you." Feferi curtsied again, and hurried back to the palace.

She would not fail where Meenah had.

* * *

"Look out below!"

Terezi grunted as she smacked into the earth. Transforming in midair wasn't easy, but she had to get past the farmer somehow. It would be easier to sneak into the barn as a girl rather than a dragon.

She got up from the ground and dusted herself off. Two cows in the pen outside the barn mooed curiously at her. She waved in their direction, baring her fangs, and they turned back to their grass.

Terezi walked up to the barn, sniffing the air cautiously. It was sheering season, so the farmer would have most of his sheep holed away. His scent was faint, so he wasn't inside.

When she got to the barn, she ran her hands along the wall until she found a handhold. Hoisting herself up, Terezi scaled the wall, sniffing out more handholds in the cracked walls. She soon got to the open window and squeezed herself through, landing in the hay on the second floor. Below her, the sheep baaed balefully.

"Alright, you juicy morsels." She licked her lips. "Let me come down there and choose who to bring home-"

Her keen ears picked up footsteps. The farmer was coming! Terezi threw herself into the nearest haystack. Her nose tickled, but she didn't care.

The heavy wooden doors of the barn slid open, and a voice filled the air. "Yup, these shears can't be fixed. We'll have to put the sheep out in the field until I get new ones tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Father. I didn't mean to break them," a younger female voice apologized. Terezi guessed that that was his daughter.

"It's alright. I'm glad you told me instead of trying to continue using them. They're old anyways."

"Yes, they really are. Oh, did you hear the news this morning?"

"The news of Queen Gliyoyan?"

"Yes. I'm sorry to hear what happened to her."

Terezi made a face at the queen's name. All royalty hated magic users. Queen Gliyoyan was the only one who hadn't made any new laws against them, but she hadn't tried to lift any either. Any bad news concerning her was good news, if you asked Terezi.

"She's just clumsy in her old age. I bet her heir will be better coordinated." The farmer chuckled.

"They also pushed the ball back. It's in three months instead of one," his daughter said.

"Is that right, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Father. The queen needs to recover."

"I would too, if I were her age. Speaking of that ball, who do you think will win the crown?"

Terezi sighed. The longer those two stayed, the hungrier she got. Maybe she should've grabbed a cow from outside.

"I don't know. John and Jade from the Skaia province are popular in their kingdom, but there's rumors of their father harboring magic users. If that's true, they could be taken out of the running."

"If it's true, I hope they are taken out. We don't need sympathy for magical creatures in our kingdom."

Or maybe Terezi could just shapeshift right then and scare the farmer and Elizabeth out of their wits. She wouldn't be showing them sympathy anytime soon.

"Princess Feferi is being trained by the best tutors Queen Condra could find, I heard. Sounds like she's trying to remove the family's stain."

What? What family stain? Terezi didn't bother keeping up with human politics. All she knew was the names of the rulers, and that Queen Condra was a threat to magic users. She enforced strict laws in her province-laws that got Terezi's friends exiled. If Feferi was anything like her, and she won the crown…

"She may be scary, but Queen Condra is a good ruler. Feferi would make a good queen, like her mother. I hope she wins, and that nothing happens to her."

"Same here, Father."

"That's enough talking. We gotta get this sheep into their pens. Hey, sheep!"

The sheep were herded out of the barn, ruining Terezi's plan, but she was too busy thinking of what the humans had said.

If Feferi won the crown, she could endanger even more magic users, especially if her mother helped her. More of them could end up tortured, imprisoned, or even dead. No place on this side of the mountains was safe.

On the other hand, John and Jane seemed to be kinder rulers. Terezi didn't know if their kingdom really harbored magic users, but if they did, they were fantastic in her book. If either one of them got the crown, the magic community would be safe for longer.

The trouble was them getting the crown. John and Jane seemed to be less popular in the kingdom. And Feferi was being trained "by the best," so to speak. If it was a popularity contest, she would win. If it were a contest of who was the best, she'd win that as well.

So Feferi would have to be removed from the equation, one way or another.

Could she be killed? No, too messy. And if Terezi was caught, more hatred would be sent towards magic users.

Could she be blackmailed out of the contest? If Terezi could get dirt on her. She was pretty curious about the family's stain that the farmer mentioned. But if the kingdom knew about it already, it was shitty blackmail material.

What could Terezi do to get Feferi out of the contest? She had to be physically removed from it.

 _Wait a second…I have to get her physically removed…that's it!_

She jumped up from the haystack, sending straws flying everywhere.

"Kidnap her! When she's gone for long enough, they'll have to take her out of the contest!" she cheered. "Then we'll be safe!"

Her stomach gurgled, and Terezi could feel herself blush. "After I get breakfast, of course."

* * *

 **Ahh this feels a little off but whatever**

 **Also, exciting news-My birthday is on Tuesday! I'm so excited! I asked for some great books, like the Raven Cycle.**

 **See you guys again soon! Sooner than this time, of course.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for another sorta late update! Lots of school got in the way. I also started playing Undertale-such a good game! I really recommend it!**

 **Also there's a bit of violence near the end just so you guys know.**

 **Happy birthday to autisticporrim! I hope you enjoy this chapter Fao!**

* * *

"And again." Ms. Hawkeye sipped her cup of tea as Feferi went through the beginning steps of the waltz. "This time, lift your arm towards the sky, not the corner."

Feferi grumbled, but did as she was told as her teacher reset the music and the song began again. She knew better than to make her teacher disappointed.

It wasn't that Ms. Hawkeye was a cruel woman when frustrated. She would just furrow her brow and sigh, more disappointed than angry. Rather, it was that Feferi did not want to disappoint her. She was a woman who tended not to outright state her expectations, letting them slip out in her tone, and the princess constantly found herself trying to find this expectations. She was used to hearing other's expectations for her, so this was quite a change.

As she went through the movements again, Feferi studied Ms. Hawkeye. She was a tall woman, with a neutral serious expression. Her blonde hair was clipped away from her warm brown eyes. Before she had become a dance teacher, Ms. Hawkeye had said, she was in the kingdom's military. A shot to the knee and other injuries had forced her retirement. Despite that war being years ago, she still walked with a cane, and a scar ran along her hand.

"Are you paying attention, Your Highness?"

Feferi jerked out of her thoughts. "Oh!" She had slowed down as her attention slipped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose focus!" She bowed her head apologetically.

"It's alright. Do it again, but please pay attention this time." Ms. Hawkeye drew herself up with her cane, walking slowly towards Feferi. "And put your foot here on the first turn." She nudged her foot to the left with her cane. "Your dance partner should have recovered by Saturday." Condra had assigned a nobles' son, Richard Gansey, to dance with Feferi to help prepare her for the ball. However, he had called in sick that day. "You must be ready for him."

"Of course, ma'am."

Feferi was halfway back to her palace when the screaming started.

Mrs. Hawkeye's wounds were particularly achy that day, so the lesson ended early. Feferi offered to have her ride home in her carriage, pushing until her teacher finally accepted. She lived on the other side of the village, and Feferi would rather not have her ride her horse all the way back, if the bumpy ride would only worsen her pain. Her horse followed behind the carriage, led by a guard.

In the streets, people whispered and bowed as the carriage rode past. Feferi remembered her lessons and smiled patiently at her subjects, waving occasionally to a few. She was a future queen. She had to act the part, even if her face was partially obscured by a curtain.

Feferi let Ms. Hawkeye off at her home, where her fiancé, Mr. Mustang, helped her inside. A dog barked excitedly around her heels. Feferi gave Ms. Hawkeye her pay and waved farewell as her carriage began to make the trek back.

The ride back was lonely. On the way there, Feferi had made small talk with her teacher. Now she was alone in her carriage. Her guards rode on the outside of the carriage, and she couldn't speak to them without distracting them from their jobs, which would make her mother cross. They were all male, so they were not allowed to be in the carriage with her. If only Aradia was here. They would have such fun talking together.

Then the carriage came to a halt. "Busy traffic?" Feferi asked. Her answer was a piercing scream.

"Take cover!" a man bellowed from outside.

"What's going on?" Feferi jerked open her carriage door to be met with an amazing sight.

A dragon sailed through the air, blowing fire out of its mouth. None of the flames were aimed at the villagers, but it was only a matter of time. Its scales were a brilliant teal, and its wings were taller than any man Feferi knew. The beast took her breath away.

"Your Highness!" A guard ran up to her door. "Please, get back in the carriage!"

"What is a dragon doing here?" she murmured in awe. The only dragons she had seen were in her books, and for a fleeting moment she forgot how dangerous magical creatures were.

"Get back inside! We can handle this!"

Feferi regained ahold of herself and slammed her door shut.

Outside, the screams of terror continued, and Feferi's heart beat nervously. What would a dragon be doing here? They stayed in the mountains, never leaving of their own accord. This dragon's presence was unnerving in itself. What did it want?

The guard from earlier slammed open her door. "Changed my mind. You should get out."

"What?"

He clenched her arm and yanked her out of the carriage. A few seconds later, it burst into flames. Her blood ran cold.

The dragon screeched in triumph, circling lower and lower. Feferi could make out its bright orange claws.

"We must find shelter, my lady!" the guard yelled, pulling her along the street. It was a mess of people, children crying and adults screaming. There was no way to organize them.

It wasn't long until Feferi lost the hand of the guard, finding herself alone in the crowd. Nobody cared that she was a princess. All they cared was getting away from the dragon alive. She was shoved, kicked, and stepped on, so that others could escape. It was the harshest treatment Feferi had received in her life.

Then the street cleared around her. Feferi was about to go searching for her guards when a shadow loomed over her. She turned around slowly, and screamed.

The dragon was staring down at her. Its eyes were bright red, any trace of a pupil or iris gone. Crusty dried liquid that looked suspiciously like blood stained it mouth. It opened its jaw and roared, its ivory teeth razor sharp. Feferi screamed again and started running down the street.

But it was to no avail. Behind her, the dragon started running, and soon caught up. Its claw snagged the back of her dress and scooped her up into its paw. She nearly fainted with terror.

The beast ran a claw across her face, then lifted her up to its snout. Feferi was sure she was going to be eaten, but the dragon nearly sniffed her instead, before growling in delight.

"Your Highness! Do not worry, we shall save you!"

Feferi jerked her head back to see that her guards had reassembled, and were getting ready to charge. But the dragon snorted and blew flames at them. All of her guards jumped out of the way. She felt her stomach sink.

The dragon screeched again and leapt up into the air. People shouted from the ground and fired weapons at the dragon, but none of them seemed to make contact. It happened too fast for Feferi to process right away.

A few minutes later, she regained her senses. "Put me down, beast!" she screamed, beating at the dragon's claws. How dare the beast take her away from her palace like this, and at such a time! She had trained to be the queen for so long, and now she was being kidnapped by a foul creature of magic.

The dragon snorted, glancing down at her with narrowed red eyes. It appeared to be intelligent enough to understand her words. Perhaps she could reason with it.

"I am Princess Feferi Piexes, soon to be the queen of the kingdom of Skaia! If you know what is good for you, you will put me down, you foul creature!"

For a moment, the dragon seemed to vacillate in the air, and Feferi's hopes rose. Then it growled and started beating its wings harder. Feferi dropped her head down and moaned. Why bother negotiating with a beast? All magic users were cruel creatures far below humans. Only the dragons were respected, and that was because they quickly bested the warriors of the kingdom.

Finally, the dragon started to dip lower and lower. Feferi opened her eyes to see the dragon heading towards a large rock. Was it planning to smash her head open against it?

No. The dragon merely dropped her on the ground, and she rolled towards the rock. She sat up, moaning. Her purple dress was torn and her hair was tangled, and dust was all over her dark brown skin. Feferi was glad that her subjects could not see her now. What would they think?

The dragon pushed its head against the rock, moving it away from the wall to reveal an opening. Stagnant air rushed out, causing Feferi to cough violently. It smelled as though multiple things had died in there, and she was going to join them. Just like her dressmaker from years ago.

"What purpose do you have of bringing me here?" she demanded. The dragon snorted, lifting up one of its claws and pushing her into the cave. She started to protest, but gasped.

The cave was littered with jewels and gold, mountains of coins with crowns and other shiny treasures poking out of them. Half of the treasures Feferi had seen before-thrones, goblets, jewelry, weapons, and many others. The rest were esoteric to her.

The dragon plodded into the cave and huffed before shaking out its body like a dog. Then, to Feferi's surprise, it started to shrink. She gasped and threw herself against the cave wall.

The dragon continued its curious transformation. It hunched over, and dark blonde hair began to sprout from its head. Its scales smoothed together and turned a creamy brown with darker dots. Around its body, cloth grew from nowhere, in the shape of a ragged red dress. Finally, it stopped, and slowly stood back up. Aletta gasped.

A human girl stood in front of her, with choppy hair that brushed her shoulders and freckles all over her brown skin. She opened her eyes, and they were completely red-the same color as the dragon's eyes.

"Are you done calling me a beast yet?" she snapped.

* * *

"A _dragon_?!" Condra hissed, rising up from her throne. "A _dragon_ seized my daughter?"

"It appears so, my lady." The guard reading the report replied, glancing back at the men behind her. "Unless the men made a mistake in their report on why your daughter is gone."

"It is no mistake!" one of the men cried. "Many villagers will testify what they saw!"

"Enough!" Condra stormed down from her platform. She practically glowed with anger. "Captain Sabir, correct me if I'm wrong, but these men _failed_ to perform their duty."

"No, your Highness, you are correct."

"We tried our best!" another man protested. "But it was a massive beast! We could do nothing-"

" _Silence._ " Condra waved her hand, and the soldier's tongue fell out of his mouth. He made noises of pain as his companions stared.

"May I remind you that you should not overtax your powers today, your Highness?" Sabir chided. "That would be unwise."

"Why shouldn't I? Tell me that!" the queen roared. "My first daughter betrayed me years ago, and now my second daughter is gone! Without her, I have no ticket to this country's throne! I am no queen if I have nothing to rule!" The ground cracked beneath her.

"Wait…" one of the guards gasped. "Our queen knows magic? But-but how can she trick the people like this? Someone must-"

Condra shoved her hand out to the guard, and a red and blue aura flickered around him. She waved her hand out to the side, and he slammed into the wall. The tapestry above him fell, covering his motionless body.

" _No one is telling anyone anything,_ " she snarled. She waved her hand at the remaining guards and brought it down, slowly lowering them to their knees. "This is what shall happen. You will all be placed in the dungeon for life for your crimes against the throne, charged with assisting the kidnapping of Princess Feferi and knowing unauthorized magic. Your dead companion will be buried in the prison yard, under the claims that he tried to use magic to escape, but it cost him his life. Your tongueless companion shall have a similar claim. You will never have parole, and if you tell anyone that I know magic, it shall cost you your head. Am I clear?"

"You would have us lie?" one of them whispered.

Sabir turned her head away as blood squirted across the floor. Someone else could deal with that mess.

* * *

 **Yay for plot movement!**

 **Sorry if the violence threw anyone off, but there will be some of that in this story. This is the most violent part so far.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for another late chapter! I got caught up in finals and some personal issues, but I'm fine now. Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

Looking back, maybe this wasn't such a good plan.

For starters, Terezi had no idea what to do with the princess now that she had her. She didn't like to kill humans-injure and scare them, sure, but not killing. They didn't taste good anyways. She could ask for ransom, but then she might have to find a new cave to live in.

Not to mention that people would be looking for her. Terezi would have to fend off knights and warriors from her cave, which, although it would be fun, would get tiring over time. Regular humans were so predictable.

She had to think of a plan for the princess-if, Terezi noted as she turned back to her prize-she didn't die of a heart attack first.

The image painted in Terezi's mind of the princess wasn't very clear, due to the dirt and sweat that confused Terezi's smell, but she could hear the princess's labored breathing and smell her fear. At least keeping her under control didn't seem so tough, if she was so scared.

"What? You've never seen a shapeshifter before?" Terezi stretched out her arms and smirked. "To be honest, neither have I."

The princess didn't answer. Terezi would've assumed that she had died from fright if she still wasn't breathing so heavily. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? I can arrange that, if you like."

"No more changing-please, trickster!" the princess finally gasped.

Wow, she was original. "Trickster? Totally haven't heard that before." Terezi shrugged as she walked towards the princess. "How original of you, Your Highness."

The princess scrambled up from the floor, pressing herself against the wall. "What do you want with me?! What have I done to you? Is it a ransom that you seek?"

"Lady, I'm kinda loaded with treasure already, in case you haven't noticed."

"Are you-are you going to eat me?"

"Humans taste bad."

"Then what are you planning to do with me?"

Terezi stopped. "I…I don't know."

"Can you let me go?"

"Seriously?" Terezi put her hands on her hips. "After all the trouble that I went through to capture you? No."

The princess sighed, her skirts ruffling as she stood up straight. "Then I, Princess Feferi Piexes, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Skaia, order you…magical beast, to let me go!"

"That's not going to work."

"By the law of the kingdom, within the boundaries of the kingdom, you must let me go when ordered to, as a subject of-"

Terezi cut her off by cackling. "Oh my god! You're hilarious!" She bent over double, clutching her stomach.

"What is so funny? I told you, by the law-"

"This is the mountains! No kingdom has claimed the mountains. Study your geography, princess-your laws don't apply to this area."

Feferi stomped her foot in response. "Kidnapping a member of the royal family is still a heinous crime! You'll be lucky to get a quick execution, seeing how you are a creature of magic."

Terezi wiped a tear of mirth from her eye, catching her breath. "I have a name, you know. It's Terezi."

"Whatever. Just let me go!"

"No. I did capture you for a reason."

"Oh, really? I hope it's a good one."

Terezi crossed her arms, hoping that she was looking the princess dead in the eye. "Your mom is a bitch."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me-a bitch. She's been exiling my friends from her kingdom and throwing them into her dungeons. And she's probably raised you to think the same way as her."

"Of course she has!" Feferi walked right up to Terezi, causing the other to lean back. "This is one of the reasons why! You magical beasts have no regard for us human beings-snatching us away from our homes, performing cruel rituals on us, and killing us! My mother taught me that! You brainwash us and lead us away, like my-" She stopped talking.

"Like your what?"

"None of your business."

"Alright then. You're definitely a bitch like your mom, I see."

"Shut up! Can't you just let me go? My family and friends will be worried about me!"

"Sorry, hon. No can do." Terezi turned around and strolled away from the princess, towards the back of her cave. Feferi huffed, and a few moments later angry footsteps followed Terezi.

"And why is that? You have no reason to keep me here, and if you are caught on kingdom grounds-"

"First, I'm a shifter. I wouldn't get caught. Second, I just need you away from everyone else until your grandma has chosen her heir."

"And why is that?"

"The rest of your family aren't as bad as you and your mom are. Your uncle is actually a lot nicer to those of us in the magic community, and so are your cousins. If either one of them inherited the throne, we'd have a hell of a way easier time than if you got it. So you'll just have to stay here until the royal ball is over."

"That's why you captured me? That's such a petty reason!"

Terezi whirled around, growling. "Listen, _princess_ ," she spat. "Wanting to see my friends live wherever they want without people like you ruining everything for them isn't petty. And I'm not letting you go until I can accomplish that for my friends. So either you can shut the hell up and deal with it, or I'll find some other way to dispose of you."

"You said it yourself that you didn't have anything planned beyond capturing me. Keeping me here will gain you nothing, especially since my friends will find me. And if they take too long to find me, I'll just escape from this cave."

"There's only one way in and out of here, and I just lead you through it. Do you think I won't be keeping an eye on you? Because that's bullshit. You're stuck with me."

"I'll fight you."

"I'm a shifter."

"I'll still fight you."

"I'll win."

The princess didn't say anything more. Then, she started to run. Terezi stood in shock, until she realized that she had forgotten to shut the entrance to her cave. Cursing, she started running after her. There was no way she was going to let Feferi escape!

A yell ripped through the air, and Terezi ran out of her cave, only to bump into Feferi. She yelled again. "How many of you creatures live here?"

"What do you mean?"

Pressure settled on the cliff, and Terezi realized who was there. "Oh, no."

"Terezi, what the fuck?!" Vriska stomped to the two girls. "I go back to my place for five seconds, only to hear about you grabbing the princess and running off! What are you thinking?"

"At least I did something about the people who keep harming our friends!"

"Terezi," a clear voice cut through the air, and Terezi ran a hand through her hair. "You really need to learn how to think before you act. This behavior of yours is getting you into trouble."

"Fuck off, Kanaya! I'm not in the mood to be lectured by you right now!"

Behind her, Feferi made a choking sound. "Ka-Kanaya?"

* * *

 **Ahhh this is really rushed but I wanted to get something up**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


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